1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrying device for carrying a fluid vessel containing a liquid such as culture fluid or the like, and to a control device and a program associated with the carrying device.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, some culture apparatuses such as an incubator or the like include a carrying device for carrying a fluid vessel stored in the culture apparatus. The incubator controls a culture environment in which cells are cultured. In particular, the culture apparatus is provided with a stocker which can contain a plurality of fluid vessels, a carrying device which can carry the fluid vessel both in a horizontal direction and in a vertical direction, and an observation device for observing a sample in the fluid vessel. It is possible that the carrying device takes out the fluid vessel from the stocker and carries the fluid vessel to a position where an observation is executed by the observation device. Also, it is possible that the carrying device returns the fluid vessel into the stocker after completion of the observation.
Also, conventionally, a cell is contained in the fluid vessel along with the liquid such as culture fluid or the like for culturing the cell by the culture apparatus and observing the cultured cell. Methods of observing the cell in the liquid include a method of setting a coordinate system in the fluid vessel, specifying a position of the cell in the fluid vessel by means of a position in the coordinate system, and repeatedly observing the cell existing at the same position in the coordinate system. With this method, even in the case where the fluid vessel is once returned into the stocker, the same cell can be observed again in a next observation.
In the case where the fluid vessel is carried in the horizontal direction by the carrying device, the liquid in the fluid vessel has a wave in accordance with acceleration of the fluid vessel, and the liquid in the fluid vessel vibrates. Therefore, to the cell floating in the liquid, since it moves from its original position during carrying the fluid vessel, it was difficult to adopt the observation method described above.
In contrast, to the cell adhering to a bottom surface of the fluid vessel, since it hardly moves from its original position even during carrying the fluid vessel, it was easier to adopt the observation method described above.
However, the smaller a depth of the liquid is, the larger the vibration of the liquid in vicinity of the bottom surface of the fluid vessel where the cell adheres becomes. Therefore, in the case where the fluid vessel is carried at a uniform acceleration regardless of the depth of the liquid in the fluid vessel, in the fluid vessel containing the liquid a depth of which is small, the vibration of the liquid in vicinity of the bottom surface is large, and it is possible that the cell adhering to the bottom surface is removed therefrom due to the vibration.
If the cell is removed from the bottom surface, the cell is displaced from a position where the cell was adhering, and therefore, it is difficult to repeatedly observe the same cell by the observation method described above. Also, if the cell is removed from the bottom surface, it is possible that culture of the cell is prevented.